Radiation-sensitive compositions are routinely used in the preparation of imageable materials including lithographic printing plate precursors. Such compositions generally include a radiation-sensitive component, an initiator system, and a binder, each of which has been the focus of research to provide various improvements in physical properties, imaging performance, and image characteristics.
Recent developments in the field of printing plate precursors concern the use of radiation-sensitive compositions that can be imaged by means of lasers or laser diodes, and more particularly, that can be imaged and/or developed on-press. Laser exposure does not require conventional silver halide graphic arts films as intermediate information carriers (or “masks”) since the lasers can be controlled directly by computers. High-performance lasers or laser-diodes that are used in commercially-available image-setters generally emit radiation having a wavelength of at least 700 nm, and thus the radiation-sensitive compositions are required to be sensitive in the near-infrared or infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum. However, other useful radiation-sensitive compositions are designed for imaging with ultraviolet or visible radiation.
There are two possible ways of using radiation-sensitive compositions for the preparation of printing plates. For negative-working printing plates, exposed regions in the radiation-sensitive compositions are hardened and unexposed regions are washed off during development. For positive-working printing plates, the exposed regions are dissolved in a developer and the unexposed regions become an image.
Various radiation compositions and imageable elements containing reactive polymer binders are described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,569,603 (Furukawa) and EP 1,182,033A1 (Fujimaki et al.). The reactive polymer binders include reactive vinyl groups pendant to the polymer backbone. Other IR-sensitive compositions are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,309,792 (Hauck et al.), 6,893,797 (Munnelly et al.), 6,787,281 (Tao et al.), and 6,899,994 (Huang et al.), U.S. Patent Application Publication 2003/0118939 (West et al.), and EP 1,079,276A1 (Lifka et al.) and EP 1,449,650A1 (Goto).
Problem to be Solved
The various radiation sensitive compositions of the art can readily be used to prepare negative-working imageable elements but they generally require the use of oxygen impermeable overcoats in order to prevent oxygen interference with radical polymerization in the imageable layers. In addition, imaging such elements generally requires the use of a preheat step to cure the imaged element prior to development in order to enhance crosslinking among binders and reactive components in the imaging layer, particularly where the elements are sensitive to and imaged by infrared radiation.
It would be desirable in the industry to have highly sensitive negative-working imageable elements that have good shelf life but that do not require the presence of a coated oxygen impermeable overcoat. It would also be desirable to avoid the use of a preheat step before development without any loss in imaging properties.